Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 36 Strange Occurences

Rick and the others decided to follow the Governor to settle this once and for all. Rick wasn't going to take the chance that this bastard would come after his wife again. Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Michonne drove toward Woodbury. They were surprised to come across the slaughtered army of the Governors. The Walkers were already feeding on the dead; Daryl and Michonne quickly dispatched the Walkers. Rick and Glenn searched for survivors; they walked toward one of the trucks and found Karen hiding. She got out with her hands up and explained what had happened.

Rick and the others stood there, stunned after what Karen had told them. Rick decided they needed to go to Woodbury and help the people there. When they arrived, the town was of flames, and there were Walkers everywhere but no sign of the Governor.

They quickly searched the town and found several people hiding, including Tyrese and his sister Sasha. They explained that The Governor opened fire on everyone and let the Walkers in. The only reason they had survived was that they were able to guide several people into basements and keep them out of sight.

Rick knew he couldn't leave these people in such a horrible state, so after discussing it with the group, they decided to take the residence back to the Prison. The residents of Woodbury gathered what they could find and were loaded onto a bus.

When they arrived at the prison, Kagome and the others were back. Kagome watched as a bus full of people pulled into the prison after Rick and the others. She and the others walked toward Rick to find out what had happened. He explained what the Governor had done, “I couldn't leave those people there unprotected,” Rick explained.

Kagome nodded and walked with Rick and Carl to welcome the newest residents of the prison. Carl was initially suspicious, not leaving his mother or sister's side, but after Kagome told him that they were innocent people and she could tell by their auras they were trustworthy, he relaxed.

The men cleared out a cell block for the newcomers, and Kagome, Amy, and Sophia showed them around and explained how things worked. But when they saw Kirara, the new people panicked, thinking she would attack them. Kagome explained that Kirara was only protecting her family and never hurt them now that they were a part of the prison. The children were the first to accept her when she turned back into her cute little kitten form.

Months went by, and things were going well. Rick was slowly recruiting more people to live in prison. The latest person to join them was Bob, an ex-medic from the army. He was a great help to Kagome and Hershel when they went out on runs, as he knew what medicines to scrounge for. But their good fortune wouldn't last forever.

A deadly flu epidemic spread through the prison. The doctor from Woodbury, Hershel, and Kagome did their best to fight it, but Kagome's powers were not as strong as they were, and she tired quickly. She began to suspect something, and on one of the runs that Daryl was going to do, she asked him to find a pregnancy test for her. Daryl didn't say anything; he only nodded.

When Daryl and the others returned, he gave the pregnancy test to Kagome. She quickly left and went to the restroom to take the test. Kagome grinned happily when it came out positive. That would explain why she was so tired and her healing powers were limited. Her powers were protecting her and her unborn child from getting sick. Kagome was the only one that was immune to the flu. She decided to tell Rick when he and Michonne came back from a run. Kagome pulled him toward one of the guard towers so they could talk privately. Rick looked at Kagome, concerned when she refused to elaborate until they were safely in the tower, “Kagome, what's wrong? Are you feeling alright?”

Kagome took a deep breath and stared into Rick's eyes, “I found out why I've been feeling tired lately.”

“You're not getting sick, are you?”

“I am, but not for the reason you think. This may not be the best time for this to happen, but there's nothing I can do about it, and even if there were, I wouldn't change a thing.”

Rick started to worry, “Kagome, please tell me, what's wrong?”

“I'm pregnant.”

If the epidemic wasn't bad enough, there were occasional earthquakes, and more Walkers were arriving at the prison. Kagome also noticed there was more spiritual activity going on. As people inevitably died from the illness, Shinigamis would show up and take their souls. It worried Kagome that these spirits were around. Why would spirits from Japan be here? Why were the Shinigamis showing up at all? But that was something to worry about later; right now, Kagome was waiting for Rick's reaction.

Rick stood there with his mouth hanging open, and his eyes widened. The longer Rick didn't say anything, the more worried Kagome became. Suddenly Rick laughed and lunged for his wife. He spun her around, “You're pregnant! We're pregnant!” Rick said between laughs. Kagome hugged Rick back, then asked him to set her down.

“You're not angry?” Kagome questioned.

“Why would I be angry? I'm ecstatic that we're going to have a baby,” Rick assured his wife.

“How do you think Carl will react?” Kagome asked.

Rick hugged Kagome and smiled, “I think he'll be very excited to have another sibling,” Rick answered, then kissed the top of Kagome's head.

As Rick held his wife, he could still feel her body tense. Rick pulled away from Kagome and looked her in the eyes, “There's something else that's bothering you. What is it?”

Kagome sighed and hugged Rick again, “Something is going on other than the epidemic,” Kagome told him.

“What do you mean?” Rick asked.

“Something feels off. There's something sinister going on. There have been earthquakes, and have you noticed that the Walkers have been acting differently?”

Rick thought about it, and he realized that Kagome was right. The Walkers weren't behaving as mindless as they once were, but Rick looked at Kagome and knew something else was going on, “Is there something else that's bothering you, Kagome?”

Kagome bit her lip, “The demonic aura is getting stronger, Rick, and as people pass away, there have been Shinigamis taking their souls.”

Rick looked at Kagome, surprised, “What does that mean?”

Kagome shook her head, “I don't know, but it's nothing good,” Kagome said with a worried look.